Firefighter Reunites With Boy He Rescued From a House Fire 23 Years Ago

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23 years ago, a firefighter named Jeffrey Ohs rushed into a burning house with a 2-year-old boy, Xavier, inside. Ohs ran out moments later with the little boy in his arms, but Xavier was unresponsive and not breathing. Once away from the house, Ohs performed mouth-to-mouth in hopes of saving the little boy. 

And that’s exactly what Ohs did – he saved the little boy and gave him a second chance at life. Fast forward 23 years and the two are meeting once again. While Xavier was 2 years old and dying when they first met, he was now a healthy 25-year-old with a 2-year-old son of his own – bringing the story full circle. 

On May 29, Xavier took to Twitter to share his story and it has since gone viral as people praise the firefighter for saving the little boy’s life. He shared various photos of the day Ohs saved Xavier’s life, as well as the day they met 23 years later – including a photo of Ohs holding Xavier’s 2-year-old son. 

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“When I was 2 years old my house caught on fire & I was trapped inside, I ended up dying that day & this firefighter, Jeff Ohs, saved me from that building & brought my back to life. Now 23 years later he is holding my 2 year old son. I literally wouldn’t be here without him,” Xavier Dimples wrote in his Tweet. 

Continuing the story in a thread, Xavier said he spent a month in a coma after being resuscitated – adding that he could ‘never repay him for giving me a chance at life’ and can only ‘live a great life for him & my son.’ He acknowledged that he owes Ohs his life and admits seeing the photos 23 years later is ‘crazy.’ 

In the comments, one person replied, “And now you’re gon be a firefighter!” – suggesting that Xavier was working towards joining the department. His ambitions were confirmed when Xavier replied to the comment, “Facts! Coming back around full circle.” Pretty soon, he’ll be saving lives of his own. 

The thread continued with Xavier shouting out his hero’s wife, Mynda Ohs, and urging everyone to read her book – Fully Involved: A Guide For Being In A Relationship With A Firefighter (2019). “Its written to arm you with no-nonsense advice on how to cope, grow, and flourish in your relationship,” he wrote.

Similar Story About a Firefighter in Poughkeepsie, NY

In March 2021, NBC New York published an article about a similar story that happened in Poughkeepsie, NY. William Porter was a retired Arlington Fire Department firefighter who once ran into a burning home with two little boys inside. Porter was able to save one of the boys, a 3–year-old named Jacob Tsukrof.

For 23 years, Porter always wondered how Tsukroff was and how he turned out – he had never received that closure. That is until his daughter – Jessica Scalamandre – set up a meeting between the two at the Poughkeepsie Elks Club in March 2021. It was a surreal moment that the two had dreamed of for a while.

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Jacob’s brother, who was in the burning house with him, died shortly after being carried out of the house by another firefighter. And while his parents never really talked about the fire, they had recently opened up about it and the two families got together to honor the life of Jacob and the death of his brother.

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